


The Stuff that Nightmares Are Made Of

by PhoenixStar73



Series: Along Came A Spider... [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec is deathly afraid of spiders, All Magnus wanted to do is to feed his cat, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Fluff and Crack, Happy Ending, High Warlock of Brooklyn Magnus Bane, Humor, M/M, Pranks, Pre-Relationship, Ragnor gets Magnus good, Ragnor is alive and a little shit, free space, not exactly a meet cute, what's a little prank between friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22953649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixStar73/pseuds/PhoenixStar73
Summary: Shadowhunter Alec Lightwood, about to become the Head of the NY Institute, pays a visit to the High Warlock of Brooklyn to introduce himself.Little does he know he's about to come face to face with his greatest fear...**Now there's a sequelThe Web of Possibilitiesas well as a 3rd multichaptered ficHot Mess:)
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane & Ragnor Fell, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Along Came A Spider... [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748431
Comments: 122
Kudos: 372
Collections: Hunter's Moon Fic Recs, Malec Favorites, SHBingo





	The Stuff that Nightmares Are Made Of

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Foodsies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foodsies/gifts).



> This is to fill the Bingo Square: Free Space
> 
> Btw this isn't my usual type of trope but this thing wrote itself. 
> 
> Big thanks to [Sabby1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sabby1/pseuds/sabby1) for doing the Beta thing, much appreciated, love you!!!!
> 
> *********newly gifted to FOODSIES because I have enjoyed all your comments. THANK YOU FOR LOVING THIS SERIES <3

Alec Lightwood walked purposefully along the streets of Brooklyn, his black combat boots barely making a sound on the pavement. It was about 8am on a nice sunny weekday, and he could see Mundanes up and about, standing by food carts, some carrying briefcases, some sitting outside sidewalk cafes. 

In his leather jacket and cargo pants, he knew he stood out just a little bit, as his clothing looked less casual than most people, but at least the invisibility glamour he was currently using, rendered him invisible to others. No one would be throwing questioning glances upon him.

Regardless, without the invisibility glamour, Mundanes would just see and dismiss him as some punky young adult goth Brooklynite who was seriously into black leather and combat boots.

Alec detested interactions with people -- and especially those with strangers. Having to make small talk, even when at the Institute, was a situation he would rather not find himself needing to be involved in. 

Right now, he was grateful to be rendered invisible. He just needed to remember that no one could see him on the sidewalk, so he would need to actively walk around people, lest they ended up walking right into him. 

Today he was on a mission -- one that his tutor from the New York Institute, Hodge Starkweather, had suggested that he take up.

“Alec,” Hodge had said in a serious tone. “In a few months you will officially be appointed the new Head of the New York Institute. I think it would be good etiquette for you to introduce yourself to the High Warlock of Brooklyn –“

“We should have a file on him, right?” Alec had interrupted.

“Actually, the system in that particular area has been down, for some reason,” Hodge had said. “So, no, we wouldn’t be able to access any file or photos of him. However, just have your wits about you when you two meet. Incidentally, his name is Magnus Bane, and he’s one of the most powerful warlocks to exist. The warlock is 400+ years old, and he’s no fool. He has also been known to be able to charm the pants off anyone.” 

Upon hearing Hodge’s last sentence, Alec had looked up curiously, almost expecting Hodge to be grinning. That last statement had the makings of a joke. However, Hodge’s face had remained deadly serious. 

“Do not underestimate him, Alec. He’s a Downworlder, just remember that. And all Downworlders have their wiles and ways, they are known for their trickery, and to use their beauty to lure and trick everyone they see. Do not be fooled, Alec,” Hodge had concluded.

Alec had pledged to Hodge that he would be careful.

Thus here he was, on his way to make his first visit to see the High Warlock – of whom he had had no picture or file to base any impressions upon. He couldn’t recall the last time he felt so woefully unprepared. That was just so not like him. 

He was proud of his ability to be prepared in any situation.

Then again, Alec mused, perhaps it was better that he had not been able to see the High Warlock’s file beforehand. 

Contrary to the other Shadowhunters at the New York Institute, he did not have any preconceived notions of Downworlders. There had not been many occasions in which he had to confer or to talk with them in the past. Any Warlock or Downworlder interaction regarding the Institute had been dealt with by his parents, Robert and Maryse Lightwood – both of whom held a high position within the Clave. 

The other person who would have any sort of experience with meeting Downworlders of any kind would be his sister, Isabelle Lightwood. 

Alec smiled as he thought of his sister. Beautiful, impetuous, with skills that could rival the strongest guys at the Institute, and with a fierce personality to match, she followed her own heart, as opposed to following the rules. She was also biased when it came to Downworlders, as she was currently seeing Meliorn, the half human, half fae from the Seelie realm. This obviously had not gone over well with their parents.

Alec really did envy Isabelle for her freedom. He could not figure out how to even go about that, for himself. All he knew was the life with the Clave…and how to follow the rules.

He was half dreading this meeting with the High Warlock, as it meant he would need to make small talk. But at least it would not be too much small talk, before having to delve into regular Shadow World dealings. 

That, at least, he knew how to do.

In no time at all, he found himself in front of the elevators of Magnus Bane’s loft. He took a deep breath and pressed the UP button.

You got this, he thought.

******

The warlock’s loft doors were ajar. Hardly what one would expect, as most warlocks preferred to reside in seclusion.

One would think that most people would want to keep their doors locked, for security purposes.

Hmm, that’s really strange, thought Alec, as he poked his head inside.

"Hello? Hello?"

There appeared to be no one in the loft. And in fact, the place appeared just a bit…messy. Things were in disarray all about the room – furniture turned upside down. Bowls and other things on the floor. Art and sculptures on the ground. 

Nothing was making sense right now…

The High Warlock of Brooklyn was obviously not here.

But, an inner voice said, you did send him that fire message a day ago, so he should have expected your visit. 

Also, without evidence to the contrary, the loft looked like it was broken into – and that certainly warranted an investigation. 

Taking a deep breath, Alec walked in to take a quick look around.

The loft was actually a lot larger than it appeared from the doorway. The foyer was a central area that led to other rooms on each end. The walls were woven with rich shimmering brocade wallpaper that lent a magical and regal air to the domicile. The living room extended to the far end of the loft, ending with an enormous balcony framed by rich red velvet curtains and French doors, both thrown open. 

Alec found himself envying the High Warlock for having such amazing city views from that very spot.

Wow, Magnus Bane sure has nice digs, Alec thought.

Feeling more courageous, he walked past the coat and hat racks, and then past the huge walk-in shoe closet, which had also been left ajar. He saw a whole bunch of shoes scattered around the floor, as if knocked over clumsily by their owner after a serious rummage through the closet. 

Who would even need that many shoes? Alec thought, a hysterical giggle catching in his throat.

Suddenly he heard a rustling. The type of sound that would make anyone cringe.

Alec looked up -- and froze.

In front of him stood this 6 foot, 8 legged --- what??? 

_SPIDERRR_ Alec's brain screamed, as Alec's faculties have almost left him.

Alec stared dumbly at the monstrosity in front of him.

_WHAT_

"Uhh,” Alec managed to utter, as he continued to stare at this _thing_ before him, unable to look away, “Are you a client of the High Warlock of Brooklyn?" Alec asked faintly. 

Thinking quickly on his feet, he figured that the High Warlock of any region probably had clients of all types if not species. Because what else could even begin to explain _this…this…._

Alec frantically looked around the room – to his left, to his right -- for his planned route of exit, because he was about to HURL if he didn’t leave soon --

The spider seemed to blink simultaneously with all 8 eyes

…and was it looking apologetic and embarrassed??

Could a spider even do that? Alec wondered, still transfixed at the sight of this monstrosity before him.

He was speechless.

All this –

A low musical voice cut through the awkward silence –

"This is extremely embarrassing...but I _am_ the High Warlock of Brooklyn."

Did that voice just come out from those…moving mandibles?

_Like out of a nightmare…_

“WHAT?” Alec shrieked.

_YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME_

The monstrous freak of nature -- _er_ spider -- seemed to cower further. And was he now blushing a shade of dark pink? 

Since when did a spider blush?

“Ah, Shadowhunters,” the spider said, acknowledging Alec. “I can see you. All eight of you.”

“Uhh,” Alec said faintly. “Actually there’s only one of me. Alec Lightwood. I’m to be the new Head of the New York Institute in a few months. I trust you received my fire message?”

He couldn’t believe he was talking to a _spider_ , of all things.

“Wait, Lightwood? As in Maryse and Robert Lightwood? Oh dear…” 

The spider appeared to cower a bit. But only for a second. Then 8 eyes looked at Alec, as if surveying him. And Alec thought he heard the spider murmur, “He certainly seems different…”

The spider then cleared its throat. “Ah, just one Shadowhunter, you say?” the spider inquired. “Oh, my apologies, these eyes make me see 8 things at once. Too bad, Mr. Hazel eyes. You looked quite yummy –”

Alec flinched at that.

The spider hastily added, “I meant, you look handsome and I thought I had lucked out in terms of eye candy, not yummy as in good to eat. Not that spiders eat people...do they? I don't know..."

Alec remained frozen, now eyeing the spider suspiciously as it kept rambling. 

So do spiders eat people, or not? he found himself wondering _._ And do I need to escape, _like right now_??

His cheeks had also turned pink and warm, despite his current state of fear, as the spider had referred to him as handsome. No one had ever referred to him as handsome.

Jace Wayland, his parabatai and adoptive brother, was the one considered the golden boy of the Lightwood clan…

“Anyway, where are my manners? I’m the High Warlock of Brooklyn, but you can call me Magnus. And I really do need to apologize for the current state of the room,” the spider continued in the same low musical tone, now sounding sheepish. 

His rightmost spider furry leg waved upward and out, knocking a lamp off a shelf. 

Alec flinched, his body jerking backward in response.

“I completely underestimated how hard it is to move around this place, when I’m seeing 8 things at once, and when I’m suddenly larger than the furniture in this room,” the spider groaned. 

_PLEASE STOP TALKING,_ Alec thought faintly. 

But the spider just kept muttering.

“I am going to be **_so_** bruised up after all of this is over. Been banging into everything and then some with this body. Yea...my friend and his pranks...he really did me in good, this time..."

Alec could only stare….at this creature in _disbelief._

"A... prank?" Alec asked, incredulous. 

The spider shrugged, or at least attempted to shrug. This attempt actually appeared quite SCARY as the huge body shifted upward all at once, creepy crawly legs flailing in all directions. 

Alec nearly _jumped a foot in the air_ in fright upon this sudden movement --

“Yes,” the spider said, “Warlocks. Being immortal gets boring --- this happens a lot. Well, not like this – but the need to amuse ourselves from time to time…I don’t think those with finite lifespans would understand…” He trailed off.

Alec barely heard what the spider was saying. He was currently in the middle of a freakout, unable to even formulate a proper thought consciously.

Maybe Alec was dreaming, and if he closed his eyes, this spider would be gone when he opened them next--

He shut his eyes tightly.

_Please be gone, please be gone._

_I hate spiders._

_T_ _hey make me hurl._

_Please be gone._

Just then, there was a prickly sensation along his hand -- it felt like a bristly hairbrush --

_BUT WHAT IN THE ROOM WOULD FEEL THAT WAY ---_

Alec froze.

Against his better judgment, he opened his eyes slowly, ever so slowly --

A furry black spider leg lay on his hand, with 8 eyes THISCLOSE to his face, studying him curiously.

Blinking simultaneously.

_NO, THAT DIDN’T JUST HAPPEN…_

…Alec passed out.

*****

A nice scent, of some kind of pine and wood, lingered in the air.

Alec found himself smiling as he inadvertently yawned and stretched. His arm hit a hard flat surface.

Huh? he thought. He wasn’t in his bed?

He opened his eyes.

At first he wasn’t sure where he was. Then seeing the shimmering golden brocade walls around him, he suddenly remembered. High Warlock of Brooklyn. Magnus Bane. 

And him currently as a --

“Hello,” that low musical voice came forth again, but it sounded a bit further away than before. It also sounded a bit more hesitant.

Alec did not look in the direction of the voice. _SPIDER_ , his brain shouted.

“I thought I would stand a bit further away, as it appeared that you freaked out when you saw me that close to you. I’m terribly sorry about that. I’m sure I would freak out also if a humongous spider was touching me and in my face like that.” 

The voice almost sounded sad now. “It’s been two days and this has just been the absolutely worst! Ragnor, you are something else, doing this to me…”

The tone of voice tugged at Alec’s reluctant heartstrings. And it seemed all too familiar. Where had he heard that before? 

Oh right, now Magnus sounded more like a pouting kid who was kicking rocks around due to his misfortune. At least that’s what Alec had been picturing, as a memory from his childhood came to light. 

He had once caught Jace doing that when he had first come to live with the Lightwoods, all bummed out and lonely. 

No one deserves to feel like that, Alec thought, suddenly feeling sympathy for the spider/High Warlock.

If he could just get past the way the -- _ick_ \-- Spider, looked, maybe, just maybe…

Cautiously, Alec turned toward the direction where the voice had been.

In the far corner sat the spider, his posture a bit sagging, with his 8 yellow eyes with slitted pupils (cat eyes?) looking sad. 

Awww, Alec thought, feeling a rush of warmth through his heart.

The spider didn’t look nearly as intimidating now.

Alec slowly rose to his feet. He forced himself to keep his eyes on the spider as he hesitantly approached him. 

“I really do need to apologize for my actions before,” Alec said, putting forth his best behavior, ever the Shadowhunter. “I’m afraid my behavior did not befit that of a Head of the Institute –”

The spider blinked its 8 eyes at him. “You’re apologizing to me?” the spider all but squeaked, obviously surprised. “I nearly _scared_ you to death—”

“Well, that’s true,” Alec acknowledged, grimacing. “Unfortunately, spiders send me running for the hills, even the really, really tiny ones. It’s not something I’m proud of admitting. My siblings make fun of me all the time for it, especially since I’m so tall and all. But you aren’t even an actual spider. From what you said, you were magicked into becoming one, right?” 

The spider visibly relaxed, and his eyes brightened a bit as he realized Alec actually wanted to talk to him.

“Well, it’s quite the story. So to give you some background, I have a friend named Ragnor, he’s also a Warlock, actually the High Warlock of London – and we have this thing where we do things to each other for fun from time to time. Pranks if you will. They never last longer than 3 days, but it’s certainly long enough for it to be _inconvenient_ …”

...

_FLASHBACK 2 nights ago…_

Magnus and Ragnor had gone out to the local warlock gathering, and now were trading barbs while drinking the house liqueur concoction. It was getting the two frenemies quite tipsy and the conversation was getting much more animated.

“Don’t think I forgot about the time when you made my clothing invisible, so I ended up walking outdoors exposed in my underwear,” Ragnor ranted. “And what was even worse, that it was NOT invisible to me, but obviously invisible to the rest of the damn world!”

“Oh, c’mon you old bag, stop grousing,” Magnus huffed back. “It was nighttime and barely anyone saw you!”

“Oh right,” Ragnor sniffed. “It was evening and getting dark… outside, that is. But I was going to the Academy to teach, and then I was wondering why the amphitheater had gone silent shortly after I had walked in. Your timing for that prank was abysmal!”

“How many times do I need to apologize for that?” Magnus snapped, all proprieties forgotten as he threw back another glass of liqueur. “Can’t bygones be bygones?”

“Oh, of course that would be way too easy, old friend,” Ragnor retorted.

Suddenly he looked thoughtful. 

Magnus didn’t like that look in Ragnor’s eyes. “Ragnor,” Magnus said in a warning tone of voice. “Do not, even –”

“Do not even, what?” Ragnor said innocently, pursing his lips. “I wasn’t thinking anything…”

“Sure you weren’t,” Magnus deadpanned. “I know you too well, dear friend. You want to get back at me for that prank! I know you!”

“Ehh, just forget about it. We are here to drink and be merry, right? So let’s get on with it. Last I saw, you were 2 to my 5,” Ragnor stated cheerfully, all grumpiness suddenly gone. “And…if you care to make it interesting, I do have a little something…” 

He slid his hand into a pocket and brought out a small green vial. “I got this from my place in London,” he said proudly. “It’s part of my secret stash…”

“Secret stash, eh?” Magnus said, grinning. “Well, what are you holding out for? Give it here!” 

Laughing, Ragnor had sprinkled some on Magnus’s drink, and then on his. They toasted, and threw them back.

And the drinking raged on…

….

_Next morning_

Bright sunlight accosted Magnus behind closed lids, making his brain wake up with an unpleasant start.

Uggghhhh, my head, thought Magnus, his head against his soft pillow as he lay in bed. I am never drinking, again. 

He cracked open his eyes.

…wait, why did it seem like he had more than two to open??? 

And why was he seeing 8 of what was in front of him? 

Was he still stuck in a dream? Or that damn liqueur, whatever Ragnor put in it… it was sure messing with him!

He groaned again, as he moved to sit up in bed.

CRASH! He bumped into the bedside table and lamp, sending them crashing onto the floor. Then he happened to see two long, black furry things waving in the air.

Wait, they’re…attached to him? _He’s_ the one moving them! They’re HIS ARMS???

Shocked, he suddenly looked down at himself. 

And there wasn’t just two arms, there were SIX other appendages. His legs were gone, and actually he was no longer wearing clothing. In fact those were at the edge of the bed, torn up as his new black furry body was way too big for the confines of said clothing.

The mirror was to the left of the room. 

Do I even look? Magnus thought, frantically. He didn’t know what to do.

Slowly, cautiously, he turned to his left. Facing him was the front of a gigantic furry black spider, with 8 yellow eyes with slitted cat eye pupils. He was so large, he couldn’t even SEE HIS ENTIRE BODY IN THE DAMN MIRROR! _Oh, fucking Ragnor._

_This was way too much for his brain to handle right now_

Magnus fainted.

*********

The Shadowhunter was red in the face, laughing his butt off. 

Magnus would have found this extremely endearing usually, since the Shadowhunter was freaking gorgeous to begin with, and this just made him seem much younger and more relaxed – if he wasn’t so _annoyed_ that the Shadowhunter was laughing at his expense.

“Hey! I didn’t think it was that funny,” Magnus snapped. Impulsively, he flailed his black furry arms around in front of Alec’s face, trying to scare him. 

That got Alec’s attention, and it stopped his laughter – but funny enough, Alec was no longer scared of Magnus.

“Are you trying to scare me?” he asked curiously, looking directly at Magnus’s spider eyes.

“What? That didn’t work? You’re no longer scared of me?” Magnus asked in wonder. 

Alec grimaced. “I think I got used to how you look,” he said. “So now I’m no longer scared.”

Magnus hummed. “This is quite the interesting development,” he said. “I guess this is a good thing then. Because I need your help with something else.”

“Oh? What do you need my help with?” Alec asked.

“My cat,” Magnus said. “Chairman Meow –”

“Wait, you named your cat Chairman Meow?” Alec asked, astounded.

“What of it?” Magnus asked, suddenly cross.

“N-Nothing,” Alec stuttered, as the spider’s sudden change of personality surprised him. He hadn’t meant to offend. “I meant, it’s quite an interesting name for a cat. Anyway, I don’t see the cat around. Is that part of the problem?”

Magnus nodded, all 8 legs flailing. “It appears that when I woke up and found myself a giant spider, I had knocked over the bedside table and lamp, and my cat had been nearby. He took one look at me, freaked, and ran away. I haven’t seen him since. And it’s not as if I can even look under the bed or in cabinets – I no longer have hands, and I no longer can look under anything! Or focus, since I see 8 things at once, it just gets me dizzy when I’m trying to look for something. It’s been two days and I’m sure he’s hungry… I mean, how would I even get the cat food out of the bag? This is just frustrating!”

Magnus’s voice had sounded quite teary toward the end, and now Alec could see tears slipping out of all 8 yellow eyes. Then the sniffling started. Was the spider/warlock crying? Even those mandibles, as monstrously big and as frightening as they looked, were now dropped and trembling.

Oh boy. He didn’t need this now… a weepy giant spider. Or a weepy High Warlock of Brooklyn…

Alec sighed. “I can help you look for your cat,” he volunteered. “I happen to be really good with cats…”

“You will??”

Suddenly 8 heart eyes replaced the 8 teary ones. Heart eyes on a spider? Alec never thought he would have seen this, ever. The gratefulness displayed in these 8 eyes was surprisingly…endearing.

Endearing? Did Alec just call a spider endearing? _By the Angel…_

“You are the best! If you can help me with this, I’ll promise you anything. I’ll even take you out to dinner,” an overly bubbly Magnus babbled, his body and 8 legs shaking with excitement.

The spectacle just looked so odd to Alec, he was on the verge of cracking up. But he suppressed his laughter. He also felt his cheeks grow warm again at the compliment. 

“Now, now,” he murmured, half out of embarrassment. “No need to get _that_ excited. I’m only helping to look for your cat. Any decent person would volunteer. I mean, it’s a cat! And it needs to eat!” 

Alec turned and started looking under furniture and around corners.

“Now, if I were a cat, where would I be? Here, kitty, kitty,” he crooned, in a very un-Alec type of voice. “Here, kitty, kitty. Come out and have your din-din…”

Magnus plopped down where he was, his 8 eyes following the Shadowhunter as he moved across the room, calling to the cat. To say he was currently astounded would be an understatement. 

Here was a Shadowhunter – no, the future Head of the New York Institute – using a baby voice to coax out his cat!

This was the strangest thing he had ever witnessed in all his 400+ years.

This Shadowhunter was the most adorable thing he had ever witnessed. _Not to mention that his hazel eyes were an absolute dream…_

Alec walked into the bedroom, and made a face. Magnus sure had not been kidding about the state of the room. The bedside table was on its side, there was a cracked lamp next to it, some shredded clothing on the other side of the bed, not to mention spider hair all over the bedspread. He hadn’t realized spiders even shed this much…

Yuck! Alec, who had a penchant for cleanliness, frowned at this sacrilege in front of him. 

He needed to change this bedspread! 

He went over to one of the dressers, opened them up, and found some red silk sheets and pillowcases. Setting them aside, he stripped off the current gold sheets littered with spider lint, hesitated for a moment, and then threw them into the huge spa bathtub in the bathroom.

Magnus could just clean that up tomorrow, he thought. 

He then started busying himself with placing the new sheets on.

Soon the bedside table was right side up again, and he carefully laid the broken lamp next to it. 

“Meow.”

Alec’s ears perked up. If he wasn’t mistaken, that was a cat! Now where did that come from –

“Meow.” There it was again…

It came from under the bed! Alec got down on his stomach and looked under Magnus’s bed. Sure enough, a shy looking grey and white tabby stared out with suspicious looking green-yellow eyes from the depths. 

“Aww, hi there,” Alec said softly. “Chairman Meow, right? Aww, you don’t need to be scared. You were scared by the big ol’ spider weren’t you? Yea, I know how it is with spiders, especially big ones. But you know what? I’m no longer scared of him. Besides, you know your owner, right? He won’t be like that for too much longer. But you do need to eat. So can you come out, please?”

Alec gave the cat what he thought was his most winning smile – which wasn’t saying much because Alec never learned how to be flirtatious or good with people. In fact he rather felt like a fool doing it.

But he waited.

Surprisingly, the cat seemed to get it. Cautiously, one white paw appeared from out of the darkness. Then the rest of the cat followed. 

Alec did not get up, choosing to still lay on his stomach on the ground.

The cat meowed, as it slowly walked past Alec’s head and shoulders. 

Then it stopped, and it turned back, rubbing his torso against Alec’s shoulders.

Alec breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared that the cat, Chairman Meow, liked him.

This was a positive step.

He stood up and turned to walk out of the bedroom. Sure enough, the cat followed him out.

Alec hesitated by the hallway leading into the living room. 

“Magnus,” he called out. “Why don’t you stay by the far corner so Chairman Meow doesn’t immediately spook when he sees you. Better yet, when we come back into the room, just call out to him. If he hears your voice first, maybe he won’t spook as easily.”

“Not a bad idea,” he heard Magnus respond back. 

Okay, good to go, Alec thought. He whistled. 

“Come on, Chairman Meow, let’s get you fed first,” he said, as he led the cat to the kitchen. He found the dry cat food in one of the cabinets and poured it into the bowl. 

Chairman Meow immediately walked over, sniffed at it, and began to eat without hesitation.

Alec walked back out to the living room, where Magnus seemed hesitant, sitting in a corner. 

It was really funny how he was totally used to seeing him now, despite the fact that he was still a 6 foot black hairy spider with long legs. 

In fact, he could tell that Magnus was a bit nervous… something about the giant spider seemed really stiff. And his eight eyes kept shifting back and forth. Actually, that part still looked kinda creepy to him, making every hair on his arm stand on edge… and he was about to tell Magnus to stop doing that. But he swallowed that impulse down.

The situation was already less than ideal, no need for him to add to it.

“Chairman Meow is eating,” Alec declared. 

He would have been lying if he didn’t feel a burst of pride and warmth flowing through his body when the giant spider’s overall demeanor changed, and his eyes brightened.

“Thank you so much, Alec,” Magnus said gratefully. Then he paused, and appeared to be in thought. “Alec… is that short for anything? Alexander, perhaps?”

“Uhh, yes,” Alec said. “But everyone calls me Alec.”

“I prefer the name Alexander, it definitely suits you,” Magnus purred. “Such a handsome guy like you. And it exudes authority. It may come in handy, since you are to be the new Head of the New York Institute.”

Alec was taken aback by Magnus’s statement. There it was, the compliments again. And… he found he didn’t mind being called Alexander with that voice. Suddenly he felt flushed, and tongue-tied, and he didn’t know why.

“O-Okay,” he managed to get out. “It doesn’t sound so bad, when you say my name that way.”

“I look forward to our future monthly meetings. You can order me around, anytime," the spider continued lightly, in his low musical voice.

Alec detected the slight edge to his voice. “I guess so?” Alec said hesitantly, suddenly getting a bit flustered. “I mean, I don’t think I am supposed to be the one giving orders during these meetings, we are all leaders, we can all contribute equally.”

The spider chuckled a bit, his humongous black furry body shaking slightly. Then he stopped, gazing at Alec, seemingly contemplative.

"What?” Alec asked, getting a bit more self-conscious.

“You aren’t what I expected. That’s a good thing. I think you will actually do some good in this position,” Magnus said finally. 

Alec felt a bit of pride at those words. “I really do hope so,” he said honestly. 

They just sat there in silence for a little bit. It was not uncomfortable in the very least. And this threw Alec a bit for a loop. Never had he been in a new situation where he wouldn’t feel awkward. But here he was, helping out someone he had barely just met. And he was in the form of a creature that normally would scare the living daylights out of him. 

Right -- well, he had been scared initially, but not anymore.

“Let me check on the cat,” Alec said quickly. “Does the cat mind being picked up?”

“Hmm, actually, I’m not sure, Alexander,” Magnus mused, “The Chairman can be wary around strangers.”

“Duly noted,” Alec said, as he got up and walked toward the kitchen. Sure enough, the cat was finished eating, and just sat there, staring at him.

“Did you enjoy your din-din?” Alec asked softly. “There’s someone who really wants to see you.” 

He walked over slowly to the cat, and walked until the cat started purring and walking in and front of his legs affectionately. Then he bent down and started to pick the cat up. The cat didn’t resist. Actually, the cat was quite cooperative, and soon there was a purring cat in Alec’s arms. 

It looked up at Alec with curious, dilated green-yellow eyes.

“Aww aren’t you amazing,” Alec murmured, stroking the cat behind the ears, which elicited a loud purr.

“Magnus,” he called out, “Say something to Chairman Meow.”

“Bonjour chéri, viens à moi,” Magnus called out. 

Alec stopped in his tracks. French? Wow…that was kinda… 

His ears burned. French sounded really appealing when spoken in that low musical voice… 

The cat seemed to perk up. He definitely recognized his owner’s voice. 

“You speak French to your cat?” Alec inquired.

“Yes,” Magnus stated. He sounded slightly embarrassed.

“No need to be embarrassed. Your cat seems to love it,” Alec responded. 

Sure enough, the cat was getting a little jumpy in Alec’s arms. It wanted to be with Magnus.

“Just keep talking, and I will slowly walk into the room. If the cat notices where the voice is coming from, perhaps it won’t scare as easily,” Alec suggested.

“Hmm, good idea,” Magnus said thoughtfully. 

Magnus started speaking in longer sentences using French, and Alec slowly walked in with the cat. He watched as the cat moved his head around, visibly with interest, as they moved closer to the voice. 

Alec noticed the moment the cat made the connection between the voice and the spider. The cat stiffened in his arms for a moment, and Alec held his breath, waiting to see what would happen next. But as Magnus kept speaking, the cat seemed to relax. It was a good time to let the cat down onto the floor. 

And so he did. The cat sauntered toward the giant spider, who seemed frozen in anticipation, all 8 eyes focused directly on the cat. As the cat neared Magnus, he seemed to sniff at the spider. Then he meowed, trying to walk near the spider’s legs. The cat recoiled, not seeming to like the hairs on the spider’s legs. But he eventually relaxed and just curled up on the floor in front of the giant spider.

“Aww,” Alec said, “You two look cute.”

“We do?” Magnus asked. All 8 eyes lit up. “Hmm do you mind taking a picture? My phone is in the foyer.”

“Sure,” Alec said. He strode out to the foyer, where the phone was lying on a table. He picked it up, and the home page caught his eye. 

It was of a lanky young man, with tanned skin, and blond highlights, styled into a stylish quiff. 

His face was slightly turned away from the camera. He certainly had good taste in fashion, as his white outfit hugged all the right places, including well defined arms and legs.

It more than drew Alec’s attention. Alec suddenly found himself in a slightly awkward situation, as he found himself ogling the man in the photo.

He flushed. 

Not many knew of his sexual orientation at the Institute. 

Actually it was not desirable to the Clave that a Shadowhunter differed from their ideal of what a soldier of the Clave should be. He recalled the day he realized he was different from the rest. It was isolating, and made him feel shameful.

And then his burgeoning crush on his adoptive brother Jace Wayland...that had started when he was 12, and it had thrown him for a loop. 

He had not had many close friends, or a best friend even… and this sudden proximity to a boy, and one as good looking as Jace, had thrown him. Jace was just so nice and helpful, and he had never had that before. He couldn’t help but develop feelings for him.

As it was, it had been very confusing since they had gotten extremely close, and Jace had brought up the idea of becoming parabatai.

He knew Jace was straight. In the end, Isabelle had convinced him to go ahead with the parabatai ceremony – crushes were that, crushes – _but parabatai were for life._

And he knew he wanted Jace to be in his life, for always. They made each other better, on the field. And it always made him feel more secure when he was able to feel Jace through their connection.

That being said, Jace still did not know he was gay. He wasn’t sure if he would ever let anyone know He had pretty much resigned himself to being alone. However, he was far from being in denial about himself.

He knew what he was.

When he was by himself, for instance, his reluctance about letting others know of his sexuality did not keep him from admiring this photo of this amazing man on Magnus’s phone cover. This guy was _really_ handsome…Perhaps this was a friend of Magnus…or even a significant other? To have someone’s photo on one’s phone like this, it usually meant that person was special. Was Magnus… gay too? Anyway, to even be close to someone like this, he was sure lucky. 

Alec did not get any opportunities like that. And he would never be able to. His parents expected him to marry a nice Shadowhunter girl with the right attributes, so they could have future children who were ideal soldiers. And that was all there was to it.

He just stood there, lost in his own thoughts for a moment. 

Then he took a deep breath. Ok, no more of that, he thought.

Anyway, Magnus was waiting on his phone; he should go back. 

Clicking the display off, Alec brought it back into the living room. 

And stopped short at the sight before him. 

There was a very bored looking Chairman Meow licking his paw, sitting on top of a smirking giant spider. 

Magnus managed to win him over after all, Alec thought admiringly.

Alec didn't think he'd ever seen a cuter photo opportunity, ever.

He walked over to them and held the phone up, smiling. "Got your phone. Looks like there's a cute photo to be taken," Alec said, smiling as he gestured at them.

"Oh yes, please do!" Mr. Heart Eyes gushed, 8 eyes looking up at his cat adoringly. "I don't know what type of magic spell you put on the Chairman, but everything is back to normal!" 

"Ok then," Alec said, as he focused the camera on the two. "Smile!" 

Click, click, click. 

He found himself struggling to hold the camera still, giggling as the spider attempted different facial gestures in the photos. 

Which on a spider wouldn't really amount to much, but it was kinda funny how the spider attempted to wink/shut some eyes but failing spectacularly, resulting in different types of spider grimaces.

"Hey," Alec called out casually, "it must be really tough seeing 8 things at once constantly. No luck in getting only one or half the eyes to open?"

"Is there even such a thing in spider eye control?" Magnus wondered. "I don't think winking is a priority with regard to their survival. Unfortunately I usually wink a lot, but I'm sure it isn't coming across spectacularly."

At that, Alec couldn't control himself anymore, and a huge guffaw escaped his mouth. "No they aren't," he gasped, cracking up. "These pictures..."

He ran over with the phone to show Magnus. 

Magnus started cracking up. "Oh my God," he said, suddenly hyperventilating as he giggled, "Will you look at this one? I'm cross eyed without even trying! I was trying to wink!" 

Alec couldn’t help laughing along with Magnus. _Again he realized how easy this all was…_

“Hey,” he said casually, as a thought occurred to him. “Since all of this is so incredibly unbelievable…do you mind?” He gestured to the both of them, and turned the camera to selfie mode.

“You want a photo of this ugly mug?” Magnus asked surprised. “Be my guest!”

For the next 10 minutes, there was nothing but flashes, changes in poses (well for Alec, anyway), grimacing eye expressions from Magnus, and lots and lots of laughter. Alec was huffing and puffing, his face all red from laughing so hard. Magnus almost came thisclose to tipping over onto his side at one point from chittering too hard, and Alec had to rush and keep him from doing so, or else there might have been no way to right him back up…

It took awhile for both of them to calm down. 

Another comfortable silence settled in between them. 

Alec’s stomach growling suddenly broke up the shared moment. 

He winced.

“I’m a bit hungry,” Alec mused. “I just realized I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

Then he looked at Magnus. “Wait…” he said, as something occurred to him. “Have you even eaten, while in this form. Wasn’t that two days ago?”

“No,” Magnus muttered, his eyes looking cross. “How _could_ I even eat in this form?”

“Poor thing,” Alec empathized. “You must be starving.”

He thought a moment, and then said, “Do you need me to scrounge up some flies or whatever else spiders eat?”

The spider appeared affronted by his comment.

“Do I look like a barbarian?” he snapped. 

Then just as quickly he added in a calmer tone, “Wait, don’t answer that; right I forgot, spiders eat insects. Sorry. And you’re right, I’m starving, so it’s making me crazy.”

He sighed. “Right – well my body looks like a spider but I think flies would make me throw up. I still need regular food…but given that I don’t have teeth, perhaps the softer the better,” he mused.

“Hmm, okay then,” Alec said, thinking for a minute. “How about noodles. Do you have anything in your cupboards?

“I should have some spaghetti, I keep that for emergencies. And some alfredo sauce in the refrigerator,” Magnus replied.

“Okay, I’m going to go make you some,” Alec asked. He turned and walked into the kitchen. 

Magnus couldn't help but be curious. Flexing all 8 legs, he slowly ambled the best that he could toward the kitchen so he could see what Alec was doing. Alec was throwing open cupboard and refrigerator doors, gathering cookware and utensils, enough spaghetti for 2-3 people, and alfredo sauce. 

Somehow he seemed to be in his element. He was even whistling as he fussed about.

A Shadowhunter… in the kitchen? 

To his knowledge, they were all soldiers, trained to fight from when they were very young. For Alec to have knowledge of something this domestic, it really surprised Magnus.

From where he was situated, he watched as Alec put the items in the pot on the stove. Then Alec turned toward the doorway, and his whole body jerked upon seeing him.

“By the Angel,” Alec breathed, his eyes widening. “You didn’t tell me you were going to come over here to watch me cook. I didn’t even hear you come. You scared me.”

“I’m sorry,” Magnus apologized. “But I got curious. You certainly know how to get around a kitchen – how did that come about? I didn’t think domestic duties were something that a Shadowhunter was required to know about…”

Alec couldn’t help but smile, as he briefly turned to check on the spaghetti cooking on the stove. “When we were younger, my parents were in Idris quite a bit, so I ended up watching Isabelle, Jace, and Max from time to time. I’m not the greatest cook, but it was enough to feed them and to get by. Max wouldn’t eat Institute food when he was younger, so home cooked food it was.”

“Aww, what a good brother you are,” Magnus said warmly.

Alec’s cheeks burned. “Thank you,” he said, feeling slightly awkward yet again. He returned back to the stove, testing the spaghetti again. 

“Just a few more minutes and it should be done,” Alec stated. He decided that the spaghetti should be cooked a tiny bit past al dente, so that Magnus could better digest it in his current state.

“Hmm, where’s Chairman Meow?” Alec asked suddenly. “Why don’t you go keep him company while I finish up the food?”

“Good idea. I think I last saw him in the living room, playing with some fuzzy toy of his,” Magnus said. He ambled away, as Alec watched him leave.

It was funny, he mused, how normal this was starting to seem.

Of course, if what Magnus had been saying was correct, he would change back tomorrow morning, Alec realized, feeling an unexpected pang in his chest. 

It had been nice to feel needed and important to someone.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. 

Anyway, this was a temporary situation, this wasn’t real. Tomorrow the High Warlock would be back to whatever glorious self he was, and he would have no need for Alec other than seeing him at monthly meetings and discussing business. 

Alec didn’t know why this made him feel despondent. 

Sighing, he willed the thoughts away, as he turned the stove off. Draining the spaghetti, he mixed in the alfredo sauce, and portioned it into two – a large bowl with a medium sized wooden spoon, which he would use to feed Magnus, and then a small bowl for himself.

He gingerly carried everything into the living room.

Sure enough, Magnus had found Chairman Meow. They appeared to be playing some sort of game. Chairman Meow was hissing – but not in a threatening way – as Magnus tossed his bristly spider leg at him. The next thing Alec knew, Chairman Meow rowred and pounced toward the leg, only for Magnus to yank it back playfully.

The look on Chairman Meow’s face was akin to surprise and annoyance. 

He meowed in protest, and Magnus chittered happily as his large spider body shook with laughter and happiness. “You’re the best, Chairman Meow!” he exclaimed.

“That was crazy cute,” Alec said. 

Now it was Magnus’s turn to jump in surprise at Alec’s approach, his legs flailing. Awkwardly, he attempted a mock glare at Alec, but was met with a friendly look and a beatific smile from the Shadowhunter. His eyes flew to the bowls of spaghetti alfredo Alec had in his hands, and then a loud grumble arose from Magnus.

“Looks like I got here just in time,” Alec quipped, sitting across from him, and setting the large bowl in front of him on the floor. He set the smaller bowl down to the side. He would eat that later, after feeding Magnus. 

Magnus looked down at the giant bowl of pasta. It smelled delicious. “So, how are we going to do this?” he inquired.

Alec picked up the wooden spoon. “I figured I could use this to pick up the spaghetti and bring it to your mandibles,” he said simply.

For the next hour, that is what they did – Alec attempted to feed Magnus by bringing the food to his mandibles.

The first few times, Magnus completely missed catching onto the spaghetti when Alec had brought it to him, and a good amount of the spaghetti had ended up on the floor. 

Then, when Magnus had _finally_ gotten hold of the spaghetti and tried to slurp it into his mouth, he had gotten in a bit too much. It caused him to _choke_. 

Alec had gotten alarmed at seeing this, and leaned forward to help him – but then Magnus had _spewed_ the spaghetti completely out of his mouth and toward Alec, giving him a spaghetti alfredo shower. Alec had leapt back, but not in time. 

This was worse than that time with Max when he was a baby, Alec thought, closing his eyes as spaghetti strands coated with sauce slid down his hair, eyelids, and cheeks.

“Uh, sorry,” Magnus apologized. “If it makes a difference at all, I really did want to eat that. I took in way too much.”

Count to 10, Alec thought, taking a deep breath. It wasn’t Magnus’s fault…

“Okay,” he said. 

He shook the rest of the spaghetti off of him, and tried again with a smaller amount of spaghetti alfredo. This time, it seemed to work. Magnus slurped up the spaghetti alfredo, and 8 gold eyes dilated as it hit his tummy.

“Oh my god, that’s the best thing I’ve eaten in a while. That was soooooo goooood, Alexander,” Magnus moaned loudly. “I want more.”

Alec suddenly felt like the room had risen a few degrees in temperature, and the tips of his ears were growing warm. 

Wasn’t that a bit loud to be moaning just for food? he thought, half-amused.

Regardless, he lifted the wooden spoon, twirled with just the right amount of spaghetti, and continued to feed Magnus. His eyes were now dancing about with happiness as he continued to eat.

***************

Soon, Magnus and Alec had eaten their fill and were both sated.

Alec’s gaze happened to fall upon his phone just then – it was… 9pm? 

No, that couldn’t be correct. He was not here, at the loft, for the last 9 hours, right? 

But apparently he had been here all that time. It had gotten dark outside, and the city was aglow with lights.

He checked his phone again. No messages from the Institute? That was odd…

Regardless, he needed to get going. He turned to Magnus, who was sitting in a corner, relaxing after his meal. 

That’s one sated looking spider, he thought with slight amusement.

“Magnus,” he said, walking to the spider. “I think I should get going, the Institute –”

“I don’t want to be alone tonight,” Magnus suddenly said in a small voice.

That stopped Alec’s train of thought. “But, you live alone here, right? So surely you are used to it –”

“Well, that’s true,” Magnus replied. “However, I usually would head to Pandemonium nightclub or to the Hunter’s Moon for some company in the evenings. Right now, that is impossible, for obvious reasons.” He sighed.

“Would you feel better if I stayed?” Alec automatically asked. Magnus did seem like he needed a source of comfort.

“Could you?” 8 heart eyes popped up again. Again, Alec became transfixed at how endearing that looked.

“Are you sure? You barely know me –”

“I don’t know why, but I trust you,” Magnus said softly. Alec felt a surge of warmth envelop his heart upon hearing those words. He didn’t know why they affected him so, but they just did.

“Okay then, I will,” Alec responded. Taking out his phone, he shot Isabelle a quick text, letting her know he would return to the Institute tomorrow.

Magnus squealed with glee. “Yay! So you can stay on that couch over there,” Magnus said, pointing one of his arms in the direction of the pullout. 

“As for me,” Magnus added, “I could just plop down somewhere. The bed inside is of no use to me, with this body.” He did not sound very enthusiastic at the prospect

Magnus looked quite uncomfortable as he mentioned the bed. It was obvious he missed sleeping in it.

Alec knew the importance of being comfortable when sleeping. But how could he help Magnus to sleep better?

Then he remembered his days of sleepovers with Isabelle, Jace, and Max.

“Pillow Forts!” he exclaimed. 

8 eyes looked over to him in surprise. 

Alec flushed at his outburst.

“What I mean,” he said, needing to explain himself, “If we had enough pillows to line the floor to accommodate your size, that would be comfy enough for you.”

The spider brightened visibly.

“You just continue to surprise me, don’t you, Alexander?” Magnus said happily. “That’s a great idea! And yes, I have tons of pillows in the large closet in the hallway.” 

Alec beamed with pride as he turned to walk toward the closet. He was getting used to receiving these compliments as the day wore on. And he liked it…

He came back, arms filled with about 10 giant goose feather pillows. He continued to be impressed with what the warlock had – at the Institute, not one goose feather pillow existed, only standard issue pillows that were made of polyester -- and gross, come to think of it. 

This was luxury…

“By the way,” Alec asked, as a thought came to him. “You live alone. Why do you have this many pillows?”

Magnus chuckled. “I like feeling like I’m sleeping on clouds. I will literally crowd my bed with pillows every night,” he said. “And also, they are great for the occasional pillow fight.” 

The spider appeared to smirk after saying this.

Alec raised his eyebrows. Pillow fights? How large were these pillow fights, exactly? And who did he have these pillow fights with? 

“Well, okay,” Alec said, filing those thoughts away for later. “Anyway, these will certainly do the trick,” Alec replied, giving one of the pillows a test. Surely enough his hand just sank into the gloriousness of the feathered pillow. He knelt down on the floor and got to work, laying down the pillows to create a place for Magnus to sleep.

“How did I get so blessed to have you come over today?” Magnus murmured in wonder, seeing his new sleeping area. “That looks so amazing.” He ambled over the pillows, and folded his legs under his body. 

“This is really comfortable. Thank you Alexander,” he said sincerely.

“You’re welcome,” Alec said, a warm feeling rising in his gut. “Anyway, I will be right here, by the couch, only a few feet away from you.” He walked over to the couch and sat down. Even this couch was comfortable, and the throw blanket would provide more than enough warmth.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Magnus spoke. “So, Alexander, I have to admit, you are nothing like what I expected. Tell me a little more about yourself. How is it that your parents are Robert and Maryse Lightwood, and yet you turned out the way you did? You seem like you have a wonderful personality.”

And Alec talked. And kept talking to Magnus as the night went on. 

He wasn’t sure what it was about Magnus, but he felt like he could tell him everything. Never once did he feel trepidation or concern. His heart sang, he craved those responses and assurances framed with a low musical voice that just warmed his heart, and validation from those 8 eyes which were filled with emotion in a way he had never seen or experienced before.

*******

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_ Went Alec’s phone alarm.

Alec suddenly jolted awake, and nearly fell off the sofa he had been lying on. He looked around, blinking sleep out of his eyes, disoriented for a few minutes. 

Then he remembered, he had agreed to stay over to keep Magnus company.

Speaking of Magnus, where –

“Meow,” Chairman Meow stated, announcing himself. Alec turned to focus his eyes on the cat, who was already awake, but sitting right by what looked like a mop of brown hair with blond highlights, attached to tanned skin and gently sloping shoulders, which were bare. 

The rest of his body was covered partially with the pillows Alec had so carefully laid down on the floor for Magnus --

_WAIT…._

Alec’s sleepy brain scrambled to make sense of the situation. The giant spider had been lying on the pillows while he and Alec were talking, until they both fell asleep…

…and now instead there was an attractive ( _naked?!)_ man – lying in its place

Alec’s eyes widened as his brain scrambled. He had never seen an attractive naked man in the flesh before.

Well Alec _assumed_ he was naked, since the spider obviously had not been able to wear clothing the night before. Magnus’s body had shifted while sleeping, so he had moved off the pillows onto the floor, his body partially blocked by pillows….

_NOT THAT HE **WANTED** TO SEE ALL OF HIM, oh no no no_

Fortunately (or was that unfortunately --!) for Alec, all he could see was the top of the man’s shoulders and back, and the bedhead mop of highlighted blonde/brown hair…

But – wasn’t this the same guy that was on the home page of Magnus’s phone? He flushed again as he recalled ogling that picture. He’d recognize this anywhere…

His brain finally put all the facts together. And once this registered, Alec drew in a sharp breath.

**So _this_ was Magnus, the High Warlock of Brooklyn??!**

By the Angel, he thought. He’s gorgeous. 

_And naked. And just a few feet in front of you,_ his brain supplied helpfully. Something south of his waist seemed to perk up at this assessment.

 _NOT HELPING!_ Alec screamed inwardly.

Alec was rendered speechless again, his mouth dry, but for a different reason.

“Uhh,” he croaked. Oh my God, pull yourself together Alec! 

He took another deep breath. Okay, think rationally, he told himself.

Magnus, now that he was back to his regular form, was sleeping with no clothes on, and no cover. He must be cold. 

Alec should go get him a sheet or blanket to cover him.

And that would certainly solve the exposed/naked dilemma…

He took another deep breath, and sat up from the couch to go to the bedroom. He took great care in averting his eyes from the sleeping (naked) warlock amidst the pillow forts. Once he had cleared that, he ran into the bedroom and managed to find a blanket in one of the dresser drawers. 

Furtively, he peeked out from the bedroom toward the living room. He breathed a sigh of relief, as he realized he could not see too much from all the way here. But at some point, he would, since he would need to bring the blanket over to the warlock to cover him. 

What was Alec to do??

It’s only a man, Alec, he thought to himself. Albeit a naked man. Who happens to be gorgeous and sculpted in all the right places… but still, no need to freak out, Alec. Just avert your eyes until the last second, until you have to put the blanket over him. Then _throw it quickly over him_ , and then _run_ to the couch. That should do nicely.

Alec thought it sounded like a good plan. So that was exactly what he did. 

Except…when he got in front of the sleeping figure, the part where he was supposed to just throw the blanket and _run_ – well it didn’t happen. 

As he had turned to throw the blanket over the warlock, he had seen the warlock’s face. 

And he had stopped dead in his tracks. He was unable to continue. 

That was a face worthy of an angel, with super long eyelashes lightly brushing his high cheekbones which had a slight shimmer to them (?). Even when sleeping, this man seemed to reflect elegance and glowed ethereally.

This was possibly the most beautiful being he had ever laid eyes on…

So this was the man who had been turned into a spider – and whom he had gotten to know for the past day and night?? With the funny and sweet personality, the love for cats, and the quirks that made him laugh?

Oh man…Alec thought. There was no way anyone was _that_ ideal.

His eyes then traveled lower… and egad the rest of him was perfect too. And…now Alec really needed to dash for the couch, before something even more embarrassing happened. Flushing to his ears, he laid the blanket over the sleeping warlock, and leapt to the couch, wrapping his throw blanket around him like a burrito.

Okay, Alec, he commanded himself. You are now going to go back to sleep, and not dream of a dastardly handsome naked warlock, just sleeping a few feet away from you.

 _Yea, good luck with that_ , his brain retorted.

 _Shut up_ , Alec thought, closing his eyes and turning toward the couch so he wouldn’t be tempted to look.

*****

_Later that morning_

Magnus yawned. Wow, he had sure slept well. In fact, better than he had in two days…

As he stretched, he was suddenly aware of two things. 

One, he was back to warlock form. Thank god, two arms, two legs… regular face. Thank god!

And two…

He was _naked_ under this blanket. _Ohh…_

Wait, a blanket? He didn’t recall going to bed with a blanket. There were no blankets that could fit the size of the monstrosity that he had been. 

Unless…

His gaze fell on the sleeping figure, tightly wrapped in his favorite throw blanket on the couch a few feet away, lightly snoring.

The Shadowhunter… Alec. He must have given him the blanket. Which meant he most likely had seen him… naked.

His eyes widened. Then his lips twisted into a smirk.

“Thankfully,” he murmured, “there’s nothing to be ashamed of.” He knew he looked good. 

Then he felt a bit shy. As the spider, he and the Shadowhunter had talked freely and engaged in conversation that would probably not have happened if it had been under different circumstances.

He couldn’t help but grow wistful. Now that things were back to normal, the chances of that happening again were not high. It was really nice to have someone to talk to and to flirt with.

It had been over a century since anyone had struck his interest. It looked like it happened to be a Shadowhunter this time, of all beings! 

He could hear his old friend Tessa laughing at him, as he had ridiculed her for taking up with a Shadowhunter back in the day – Will Herondale. 

She would never let him hear the end of it, if she was here right now…

Ugh, if only Alec wasn’t so pretty, he thought, dismayed.

As it was, he was already smitten.

***********

_Coffee!_ Alec’s brain screamed excitedly, as the rich aroma hit his nostrils. It hit him like a Mack truck. Goddamn that smelled like heaven, compared to the Institute crap…

Alec’s eyes shot wide open. Rich golden sunlight streamed into the living room. Yawning, he stretched luxuriously as he rolled onto his back while lying on the couch. His gaze fell upon the living room in front of him. 

And for a second, he didn’t recognize it at all. The carpets were free from debris and misplaced bowls and silverware, the furniture was upright, art pieces in place, and most noticeably, the pillows were gone from the floor. The living room looked elegantly immaculate. 

_A place fit for a King -- or a High Warlock._

Speaking of whom, he was no longer in the living room either. 

Maybe he had something to attend to this morning, Alec thought. Warlocks, and especially the High Warlock of Brooklyn, were surely in demand. 

That being said, Alec himself had duties to attend to. Perhaps it was just as well. 

He really did need to get going…

Although, when he really stopped to think about it, he might have put it off just a little bit more, if there had even been a chance, just a chance ---

“O-Oh, you’re up,” a dulcet voice said, filled with surprise….and was that a slight stutter?

Alec’s head turned instinctively toward the voice, before he realized what he was doing.

His mouth went dry. He also found himself suddenly incapable of movement, stuck on his seat on the couch.

Magnus Bane looked _exquisite._

He was just standing there, his highlighted brown hair gleaming with the rays of the sun coming in, dressed in a silk magenta and gold glitter tunic top with a medium V-neck and casual black pants. And there were layers and layers of necklaces extending down to almost his navel. He was also barefoot, showcasing the perfect pedicure with black lacquer which matched his perfectly manicured long fingers. 

Long, elegant fingers…which were holding two cups of steaming coffee.

Magnus’s brown eyes, with hints of gold in them, looked right at Alec, and boy was it piercing.

Now he was walking gingerly toward him, balancing the two cups of coffee as he hesitated by the couch.

“May I?” he asked, indicating if he could sit.

“Uh, yea,” Alec said, suddenly having difficulty formulating any words. 

“Hi,” he added. Oh my god, that’s real smooth, Alec. Real eloquent for the next Head of the Institute – he’s going to think you’re a head case…

Magnus laughed then, a bit nervously. It still came out like clear bells.

“Well, you did feed me last night. I figured the least I could do is to make you some coffee. I have this great blend that I brought back from Hawaii. Kona, it’s really, really smooth even when taken black. Are you into that at all?” he asked.

Aww that was nice, Alec thought. He smiled. “I’m totally into that, thank you,” he said, as he accepted the cup quickly. 

Alec put all his focus into enjoying the coffee and not thinking about how Magnus looked, or sounded, or however he was making him feel. He kept his eyes averted.

This was way too much to deal with just upon waking up…

“Oh, and thanks for the blanket,” Magnus suddenly said. Now his eyes were averted from Alec as he spoke, and there was a high flush on his cheeks. “That was…incredibly thoughtful of you.”

“Oh,” Alec said dumbly. He felt the heat rush to his face, as he remembered what he had seen and thought. “Well, didn’t want you to get cold,” he said awkwardly.

“Hummmm,” Magnus murmured, cradling the cup of coffee in his hands.

They both just sat there… feeling the tension and self-consciousness between them. It was so thick one could cut it with a knife.

Magnus was the first one to break the silence. “So, I guess we will be seeing one another regularly at meetings at the Institute now, eh? Since you will be the new Head.”

Alec took another gulp of coffee. “Ah, yea,” he said. “I guess it’s going to be a regular thing.” His eyes were still averted, as he was afraid he would stare way too much and too long at this beautiful man in front of him. 

_He was almost too beautiful._

“Well,” Magnus said suddenly, “since we are going to be meeting regularly and all in a few months time, maybe you should take down my number, so that we can get to know one another on a professional level, maybe even brief one another about agenda topics we may want to touch upon during those meetings. What do you think?”

There was absolutely no reason not to agree to that, Alec thought to himself. It sounded quite reasonable, actually…

He could take his number… for purely business reasons. Yea… that sounded good. _Business reasons._

“Sure,” Alec said as he handed over his phone to Magnus. 

He watched as Magnus typed in some numbers, actually he ended up doing this three times, as his fingers kept slipping, for one reason or another. 

“Hmm there we go. And I’m going to send a text to myself now, so I have your number,” Magnus said, a slight edge to his voice. 

“T-Thanks,” Alec said softly. 

Ping! “Okay, got it,” Magnus said.

They finally looked at one another. Silence enveloped them. 

"Uh, thank you for the coffee. And for the number," Alec said, his cheeks flushing. "I think I should get going. Duty calls."

Magnus nodded. “Why, of course,” he said, rising as Alec stood up from the couch.

Alec turned and headed toward the loft doors.

“Thank you for taking care of me yesterday.” 

Magnus’s soft voice stopped Alec in his tracks. Alec whirled around to look at him.

Magnus laughed softly again, and shook his head.

“You’re definitely more than you think you are, Alexander. You’re different. It’s a good thing,” he said. 

Alec seemed to stop and consider his words. He then broke out into a small smile.

“Well, I guess we both probably won’t be forgetting this for a very long time, huh?” Magnus laughed awkwardly, which then ended as a small smile on his face.

“Not by a long shot,” Alec replied, suddenly grinning like crazy. Which made Magnus grin in response. 

“It was certainly memorable” Alec said honestly.

Their gazes locked for a few minutes. It was quite unnerving, and the air between them became slightly charged.

Then Alec cleared his throat. “I’ll see you around, Magnus,” he said softly.

“See you,” Magnus replied.

He watched as the Shadowhunter walked out of the loft.

***

Alec had gotten to the Institute right on time for his mid-morning tutoring lesson with Hodge.

He was trying, really trying, to concentrate.

But all he could think about was the crazy events which had unfolded yesterday.

The giant spider – which had first scared the living daylights out of him ---

The missing cat he had helped to find –

His getting showered with spaghetti alfredo by a spider who didn’t know how to eat properly –

He suddenly broke into giggles – an action very uncharacteristic of Alec Lightwood.

“Alec!” Hodge said, in a slightly reprimanding tone. “What is with you today? This is the second time you’ve lost focus.”

Uh oh.

"I'm sorry," Alec apologized, trying to sound as sincere as he could. “It won’t happen again.”

Hodge just stared at him a moment. Then he gave him a curt nod, and turned toward the screen to look up the next items to teach, muttering, “Now where did I put those things?”

Just then, Alec’s phone buzzed in his pocket. 

Hodge’s back was turned to him.

Quickly, Alec took out his phone and glanced at it.

It was a message… _from Magnus._ In fact, it was a photo message.

His heart started beating slightly faster, as his cheeks reddened.

Nervously, he tapped twice on the message.

The photo of Chairman Meow sitting atop the giant black furry spider with askew looking eyes appeared in front of him.

And Alec could not keep from breaking into the biggest smile.

Below the photo was a caption.

“How about dinner later tonight?” the message read. “I think I can refrain from spitting up on you, this time. Oh, and by the way, do you think this photo captured my good side?”

Alec let out a loud guffaw, and then quickly covered his mouth as Hodge turned around, his eyes narrowing. Alec quickly put on his most innocent look and threw him a smile. Hodge nodded again and turned back to whatever he was doing.

Alec bit his lip to keep from laughing further. He glanced down at the photo, and smiled. He found it endearing.

He found himself typing, “The picture definitely doesn’t do you justice. Dinner sounds great. Call me?” 

His heart pounded in his chest, and he pressed Send quickly, before he could change his mind.

He put his phone away just as Hodge turned back to him with some books in hand. 

Oh boy, Alec thought, now he would need to buckle down. No more silliness. His expression grew serious, which earned an approving nod from Hodge, as he started talking again.

But he allowed himself a small smile as he thought about the photo and the fact that he had just agreed to see Magnus again, tonight.

He felt like he was keeping the best secret in the world to himself – his heart just felt so full.

And for once, Alec was certain that the decision he had made for himself had been the right one.

  
*****

_London 2am_

Bzzzz! Bzzz!

_Egad, what time is it?! Who’s messaging at this time…Of all the nerve…!_

“Well played, old chap. Yes, you really got one over on me. But, I really don’t think I deserved that…do you? Anyway, as they say in the States, you made your bed… now the shoe’s on the other foot. I’d be VERY afraid to sleep at night if I were you, old friend. It won’t be tonight, nor tomorrow. But don’t count out any time THIS year….”

Ragnor sat up upon reading the entire text message, trepidation like ice in his veins. Dammit, Magnus! he cursed.

Meanwhile, Magnus leaned back against his couch as he looked at the text he had just sent Ragnor, smiling like the cat who ate the canary. 

Yup the game is on, old friend. 

He would let Ragnor get all fussed and anxious like he usually got in a time like this. 

But in the meantime, he allowed himself to think of a certain hazel eyed Tall, Dark and Handsome, whom he hopefully would be seeing tonight. 

The smile on his face grew wider, and a soft look settled into his gorgeous brown eyes.

_He so couldn’t wait._

END

**Author's Note:**

> Now there's a Sequel! "The Web of Possibilities" --> go check it out :) [link](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23763421) as well as a 3rd multi-chaptered ficlet [Hot Mess](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24065539) please don't forget kudos/comments after each one if you enjoyed them. It would mean the world to me. Thx!


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